The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine operated at two very different speeds on 15 September 2026. A politically charged dismissal secured 317 votes and a new drinking water law received 286, yet two indicative votes on road safety attracted first 221 and then only 210 MPs.
Between those figures, a new Member of Parliament took the oath of office, the Speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives addressed Ukrainian lawmakers, and parliament advanced measures on payment fraud, tobacco traceability and housing support for displaced people.
The sitting was therefore more than a list of legislative decisions. It exposed the difference between political mobilisation and parliament’s ability to sustain support for less visible policies that directly affect daily life, public safety and local government.
Parliamentary numbers on 15 September
317 — consent to dismiss the Prosecutor General
299 — payment fraud legislation adopted at first reading
286 — drinking water legislation adopted as a law
278 — mortgage legislation adopted at first reading
234 — tobacco traceability legislation adopted at first reading
221 → 210 — two indicative votes on road safety
A sitting shaped by international commitments
Opening the sitting, First Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Korniyenko referred to a meeting involving the parliamentary leadership, the Prime Minister, political groups, committee chairs, G7 ambassadors and European partners.
The discussion had focused on legislation linked to state budget financing, Ukraine’s international obligations and progress towards membership of the European Union.
This gave the subsequent votes a significance beyond domestic parliamentary procedure. They also demonstrated to Ukraine’s partners whether political commitments could be converted into legislation and eventually into implementation.
Olena Slobodian takes the oath of office
At the beginning of the sitting, Olena Slobodian took the oath of office as a Member of Parliament.
Ukraine’s Central Election Commission registered her on 9 September 2026. She had been elected in the nationwide multi-member constituency during the early parliamentary election of 21 July 2019 as a candidate on the Servant of the People party list.
After taking the constitutional oath, Slobodian formally assumed the powers of an MP in the ninth convocation of the Verkhovna Rada.
During martial law and the longest parliamentary term in independent Ukraine’s history, this was more than a ceremonial event. The composition of parliament affects committee work, voting capacity and the ability to secure the 226 votes required for most decisions.
Japan links Ukraine’s future to global security
A major international moment came when Eisuke Mori, Speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives, addressed the Verkhovna Rada. His visit was presented as the first visit to Ukraine by a Speaker of the Japanese parliament.
Mori’s speech went beyond a diplomatic expression of solidarity. He framed the war against Ukraine as part of a broader confrontation with attempts to change the international order through force and coercion.
He stressed that security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region is interconnected. From this perspective, resistance to russia’s aggression is not only about Ukrainian sovereignty. It concerns the ability of the international community to prevent stronger states from changing borders by force.
Mori recalled that shortly before the full-scale invasion, Japan’s House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution supporting Ukraine. Japan has since held two parliamentary elections, but the cross-party position on Ukraine’s sovereignty has remained unchanged.
One of the most personal parts of the speech addressed the shared experience of nuclear disasters. Mori connected Ukraine’s experience of Chornobyl with Japan’s experience of Fukushima and recalled the assistance Ukraine provided after the 2011 earthquake: approximately 2,000 blankets, 1,000 dosimeters and 1,000 protective masks.
The Japanese Speaker also highlighted Ukraine’s scientific and technological capacity, including the wartime development of drones, robotics and artificial intelligence. He argued that Japan’s experience in reconstruction and disaster recovery could be combined with Ukrainian innovation to create a long-term partnership.
According to Mori, Japan has committed approximately USD 20 billion in humanitarian and financial assistance and support for Ukraine’s recovery. He identified infrastructure, energy, industry, agriculture, science and technology as priority areas for cooperation.
He also referred to the work of Japanese specialists on restoring Ukrainian soil contaminated by heavy metals as a result of the war. Such projects illustrate how international support can move from political declarations to technical implementation in affected communities.
Importantly for an international policy audience, Mori linked continued support with Ukraine’s reform agenda, European integration, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
“Japan and its people will continue to stand with Ukraine.”
The speech provided an important contrast to the domestic proceedings. While the Ukrainian parliament showed varying levels of voting cohesion, Japan’s representative spoke about continuity, cross-party unity and long-term responsibility.
Parliament consents to the dismissal of the Prosecutor General
The Verkhovna Rada gave its consent to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dismissal of Ruslan Kravchenko as Prosecutor General. Draft Resolution No. 16064 was adopted with 317 votes.
Formally, parliament exercised its constitutional authority. The debate, however, extended beyond a single officeholder and addressed the accountability of law enforcement institutions, alleged protection of fraudulent call centres, parliamentary oversight and the transparency of the next appointment.
MPs made a series of political accusations and called for investigations. These statements should not be treated as judicially established facts. Nevertheless, the intensity of the debate demonstrated that replacing one senior official does not resolve wider institutional concerns surrounding the prosecution service.
The next test will therefore concern not only the identity of a new Prosecutor General, but also parliamentary scrutiny, public accountability and institutional independence.
European water standards without a clear funding answer
Parliament adopted Bill No. 13578 on drinking water supply and wastewater management at second reading and as a whole with 286 votes. It has therefore completed the parliamentary stage and been adopted as a law.
The legislation distributes responsibilities among the Cabinet of Ministers, the national energy and utilities regulator and local authorities. It also introduces risk-based management and a mechanism for temporary derogations from certain drinking water quality indicators.
The changes are linked to the implementation of Directive (EU) 2020/2184 on the quality of water intended for human consumption.
The parliamentary debate nevertheless exposed a central implementation question: who will pay for the modernisation of Ukraine’s water utilities?
MPs referred to ageing networks, major water losses, increasing tariffs in smaller communities and the risk of transferring additional responsibilities to local government without adequate funding. Concerns were also raised about the limits of temporary water quality derogations and whether the Ministry of Health has sufficient staff, information and resources to perform the required oversight.
For Kryvyi Rih and other industrial communities where water security has become part of wartime resilience, this is not a technical debate. Alignment with EU law will have practical value only if residents receive safe water and municipalities obtain workable mechanisms for modernising damaged and inefficient networks.
The response to payment fraud moves forward
Bill No. 16013 on protecting citizens and their funds from illegal operations involving payment instruments and bank accounts was adopted at first reading with 299 votes. Parliament also shortened the period for preparing the bill for its second reading.
The measure would strengthen criminal liability for the use of so-called money mule accounts and for transferring payment instruments for fraudulent activity. Its provisions are linked to EU rules on combating fraud and counterfeiting involving non-cash means of payment.
First-reading approval does not make the bill a final law. Its language may still change before the second reading.
One concern raised during the debate was the need to distinguish criminal transfer of a payment instrument from ordinary situations in which an older person allows a relative to use a bank card to withdraw a pension. The effectiveness and fairness of the future law will depend on the precision of that distinction.
Separate bills targeting the organisation of fraudulent call centres, Nos. 16014 and 16014-1, were added to the parliamentary agenda but were not considered after MPs failed to shorten the period for submitting alternatives.
Electronic traceability for raw tobacco
Bill No. 15372 on strengthening control over the production and circulation of raw tobacco was adopted at first reading with 234 votes.
The proposed system would track raw tobacco electronically from cultivation, harvesting and drying through transport, storage, fermentation and industrial use.
The bill provides for a unified register of producers, electronic labelling of packages, common rules for recording weight and moisture, stronger requirements for production and storage facilities, and remote monitoring of vehicles transporting tobacco.
The system could make it harder for unregistered raw material to enter the legal market. Before the second reading, however, parliament will have to address the tension between strict traceability requirements, the capacity of smaller Ukrainian producers and the influence of large tobacco companies.
The debate also highlighted that fiscal control over tobacco cannot substitute for a public health policy protecting children from new nicotine products.
Housing support may be combined with mortgages
Bill No. 15335 on mortgaged real estate was adopted at first reading with 278 votes.
The measure seeks to remove a legal barrier affecting housing purchased with state vouchers or certificates under Ukraine’s recovery support programmes. Existing restrictions on selling such property can also prevent it from being used as mortgage collateral.
The proposed amendments would allow eligible recipients to combine state assistance with a bank loan or the eOselia affordable mortgage programme. This could widen housing options for certain internally displaced people, combat veterans and people whose disabilities resulted from the war.
The bill does not resolve the broader housing needs of millions of displaced Ukrainians who fall outside the priority categories. It also remains at the first-reading stage and may be amended.
A defence-related budget proposal falls five votes short
Bill No. 15400 proposed transferring fees for issuing state export control documents to a special fund within the state budget.
The first-reading motion received 221 votes, five short of the required majority. A motion to send it for a repeated first reading received 225 votes. Parliament ultimately returned the bill to its initiator for revision with 240 votes.
Supporters linked the proposed revenue to defence expenditure. Critics warned of a quasi-tax, additional restrictions for manufacturers and the transfer of revenue from a local budget to the national level.
The episode illustrated how fragile parliamentary support can become when a broadly accepted defence priority turns into a concrete dispute over the source and distribution of funding.
Road safety is left for another sitting
At the end of the sitting, parliament debated Bills Nos. 15348 and 15348-1 on stronger penalties for offences that cause road injuries and deaths.
Supporters argued for differentiated fines and the suspension of driving licences for repeated and severe speeding. Critics responded that higher fines cannot replace safer infrastructure, properly illuminated pedestrian crossings, enforcement against drink-driving and accountability for officials responsible for road conditions.
The first indicative vote produced 221 votes and the second only 210. No formal decision on the bills was taken, and voting was postponed until the next sitting.
The fall in support may have reflected both declining attendance and the absence of a consolidated position on the substance of the legislation. For citizens, the immediate outcome was the same: parliament discussed road deaths but did not reach a decision that day.
The regional test of national legislation
Several decisions taken on 15 September have direct implications for the Kryvyi Rih region: water quality and tariffs, housing options for displaced people, road safety and the capacity of municipalities to implement new national requirements.
The regional perspective is monitored by Ruslan Shamrin, a member of Kryvyi Rih City Council and its Standing Commission on the Implementation of the City Development Strategy and Investment.
For the city, the central question is whether changes to water legislation will be matched by financing for network modernisation. For surrounding communities, implementation deadlines, access to national programmes and a clear division of responsibilities between central and local government are equally important.
The number of bills adopted does not by itself demonstrate policy effectiveness. The real test is whether communities receive the resources, institutional support and oversight mechanisms required to implement them.
The editorial view
The sitting was not without results. Parliament adopted a drinking water law and advanced legislation on payment fraud, housing assistance and tobacco traceability.
Yet the voting figures revealed a structural problem. The Verkhovna Rada can mobilise rapidly around a high-profile personnel decision but struggles to maintain the same level of support for less visible measures affecting everyday safety and local implementation.
In the editorial team’s assessment, the most meaningful next step is to evaluate the sitting against three tests: whether implementation funding is secured, whether responsible institutions are clearly identified, and whether first-reading legislation progresses beyond political declarations.
Parliamentary capacity is measured not by the highest number on the voting board, but by the ability to carry every important decision from a vote to implementation.
